Drow

Drow

Physical Characteristics:

In many ways, drow resemble eladrin the most physically, and are slender

compared with humans. Drow have black skin and pale yellow, silver or

white hair, the latter being by far the most common. This hair is

carefully groomed and cared for by most drow and worn long with jewelry

and other accessories decorating it. Like eladrin and elves, drow are

incapable of growing true beards, though many males are fond of long

sideburns or small tufts of hair on their cheeks or chin.

Drow eyes are usually bright red, but some are known to have different

colored, commonly much paler, eyes such as blue, lilac, pink or silver.

They usually vary in height between 5'4" and 6', and weigh between 130 to

175 lbs on average. Almost all drow are handsome, especially nobles as

Lolth does not favor meek, plain or unassuming worshipers. Drow have

lifespans far beyond that of humans and comparable with other members of

the Tel'Quessir, although usually somewhat longer. This is, of course,

presuming the drow doesn't meet a premature and violent end, as many

often do, but those that survive the trials of their society and the

horrors of the Underdark can live for centuries, sometimes as long as 700

years or more.

Psychology:

Drow are taught from an early age to trust no one, forging alliances only

when they are confident that they can outmatch their ally if he/she

decides to turn on them. The inherent pride in their own abilities quite

often leads to such alliances being forged, though they almost always end

badly when one party decides said alliance is no longer convenient. Even

drow who escape the cruelties of the Underdark find it more difficult to

form long-term friendships than most races do. Most drow share a hatred

of all other races, especially surface races but hate most of all the

Seldarine and the surface elves ('Darthiir' in Drow) and wish to re-take

the surface world from their hated brethren. It is the only thing that

unites them as a species, leading them to yearn for a return to the

surface that will defeat the surface elves. Drow have an admiration for

stealth and guile, and works of great skill. They are encouraged to

become skilled at armed combat, arcanists (for males) and wielders of

divine powers (for females). Drow scouts are also valuable for the early

warnings of threats they can provide in the tunnels of the Underdark. An

assassin is prestigious in drow culture. Drow are also known for their

allure, which can be seductive but is more likely used as a tool of fear.

All drow enjoy surrounding themselves with things of beauty (drow cities

are always spectacles of breathtaking architecture) and often partake of

lavish revels, indulging in the most pleasurable of activities.

It is important to recognize that though drow are untrusting and devious,

they are not necessarily evil any more than gnolls or tieflings and drow

can become forces of good given the right conditions. However, the mental

scars of drow culture are not easily removed from the minds of an

individual and the terrors of the Underdark and drow society can leave

those who reject its evil with fractured minds and even a loose hold on

their sanity. Others may escape the Underdark relatively unscarred, but

these individuals are rare and considered, by and large, anomalies.

Culture:

Drow society is matriarchal, militaristic, and heavily influenced by

religion. Their city-states are formed in huge underground caverns but

frequently war with one another. These cities are ruled by the most

powerful of the families (or houses) and although the power of the many

families changes often, the top few usually remain stable. Males who hope

to find any place of power in society often resort to ends as treacherous

as the women that rule the drow, hoping to perhaps win a coveted place as

the courtesan of a powerful matron mother.

It can be easy to imagine that drow females, by comparison, have it much

easier but this is an illusion and their prestigious position within

society comes at a high cost. In fact, the teachings of Lolth and drive

to gain more power over others makes competition between female drow,

particularly those who belong to powerful houses, violently competitive

in a way that males do not have to cope with. Matters are even worse for

those who seek power through venues outside of Lolth's church, where the

females have to compete not only with one another but with resentful and

oppressed males.

Drow are arrogant, ambitious, sadistic, treacherous and hedonistic. From

birth, drow are taught they are superior to other races and should crush

those beneath them. Children who resist and show kindness or love are

brutally punished, so as to drive the instinct of cruelty into them. They

value advancement over their peers more than anything else, pulling down

their superiors and crushing their inferiors. This doesn't mean they

treat all of their peers with disdain, however. They appreciate a sense

of subtlety and thus drow are often courteous and urbane, even to deadly

rivals.

Cities are structured around the most powerful families taking the best

areas, leaving the other drow to take whatever land they can. The focus

of a city is often the temple of Lloth and this is often in the grounds

of the ruling family. Magical items that emit faerie fire adorning

buildings are a sign of prosperity. Outside the city, the garrison and

some of the slaves are kept, as well as roth farms.

Often a city will seek to forge an alliance with a powerful Underdark

creature like a deep dragon or a beholder so that they can gain extra

protection.

Although many drow seek to regain the surface world that they feel was

taken from them unjustly, some have become so used to life in the

Underdark that they would prefer to make the best of this realm and have

no interest in the surface. The drow who do choose to live on the surface

do not form any kind of organized society and instead live as hermits and

outcasts. They will interact with other societies when they need to, but

not through choice.

History:

Drow were once known as Ilythiiri (Ssri-tel-quessir in old Elven) and

their nation, Ilythiir, was one of the most powerful, but, in -30000 DR

their goddess Araushnee (see Lolth) betrayed her fellow Seldarine and,

along with Ghaunadaur, Vhaeraun, Malar and others they tried to invade

Arvandor. Afterwards Araushnee was cast into the Abyss, where she took

the name Lolth.

During the First Crown War, the Ilythiiri made several unsuccessful

attempts to conquer Faern (actually they conquered Southern Faerun and

to the north up to Shantel Othreier, and perhaps only the intervention of

Corellon Larethian had stopped them), and at the time of the Fourth Crown

War, they turned to Lloth and the other outcast Seldarine in the Demonweb

Pits who gave them powerful magic and fiendish allies as a reward for

allegiance. After many malicious acts and abuses of elven magic, Corellon

Larethian banished the "Dhaerow" (traitors) whom Lolth used to be

responsible for (and most of whom still secretly worshiped her) to the

Underdark. The drow, as they were now named, have always believed that

they were punished for being "successful" and have remembered this

percieved slight and vowed eternal revenge, still claiming the surface

world as rightfully theirs.

After the so-called "Descent"[citation needed] the warlike drow

immediately began violently trying to establish their own territories in

the Underdark around -9600 DR.[9] They stole dwarven magical items and

used them against their former masters, creating the enmity that still

exists to this day. They also seized the gold dwarf cavern of Bhaerynden,

creating the kingdom of Telantiwar. The drow then began fighting amongst

themselves, trying to establish a single ruler. The attempt failed, only

resulting in a great magical explosion that destroyed this large cavern,

forming the Great Rift. The surviving nobles took what they could and

left to establish their own realms elswhere in the Underdark. This time

was known as The Scattering and produced most of the cities in which the

drow live to this day, such as Sshamath, founded beneath the Far Hills in

-4973 DR, Menzoberranzan, founded in -3917 DR, and Ched Nasad, founded in

-3843 DR.

After the Sacrifice of Lolth's daughter Eilistraee, the pure blood drow

have reverted back to true dark-elf attributes, whereas those who are

tainted with the blood of Lolth's champion, Wendonai, remain forever

drow.

Drow see all other races as inferior, even those to whom they are allied,

and will attempt to enslave any enemies they capture, usually never

willingly releasing them. Drow commonly enslave hobgoblins, ogres and

orcs but also other humanoids. Above all else, drow save their

hostilities for surface elves. They are willing to forge temporary

alliances with anyone that will help them inflict pain or suffering on

the surface elves. They regard all surface elves as "N'Tel'Quess",

meaning "not people".